Muthappa Rai Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Muthappa Rai

• Muthappa Rai was a former don of Karnataka who left the underworld and became an entrepreneur, actor, and social activist. On 15 May 2020, Muthappa took his last breath at the age of 68 in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

• In his youth, Muthappa Rai worked with the Indian National Congress (INC) as its worker. He was later involved in a knife fight with the workers of an opposition party during legislative assembly polls in Karnataka.

• Muthappa started working as a clerk in a public bank named Vijaya Bank after completing his graduation. He, however, quit his job after getting involved in illegal activities.
  

  Muthappa Rai’s younger days photo

• In an interview, Muthappa said that he had no intentions of becoming an underworld don; however, he drifted into the underworld as came into contact with various underground factions different while running a cabaret named Omar Kayyam in Karnataka. He further said that he contacted the underground factions to help him as his cabaret was often threatened by gangsters asking for extortion money. Talking about it, he said,
  

  I did not become a part of the underworld willingly. I drifted in it as I had to make contacts with many underworld gangsters to save my cabaret business from rival businessmen and their gangsters.”

• In 1989, Muthappa Rai masterminded the killing of S. P. Jayaraj, a notorious gangster from Karnataka and the leader of the Indira Brigade, in Bengaluru. He was shot dead while he was going to court for a hearing. Following Jayaraj’s death, Muthappa rose to prominence in the underworld of Karnataka.

• A gangster-turned-journalist named Agni Sridhar, in an interview, said that Rai, despite gaining notoriety, failed to convince small-time gangsters and mafias in Karnataka to work with him. Talking about it, Sridhar said,
  

  Jayaraj was murdered in broad daylight by Rai’s men. Rai then became the don of Bengaluru but he did not enjoy the support of the local rowdies. He could not round them up and pacify them. He got a letter from one of them saying they wouldn’t join hand…”

• Muthappa Rai was later accused of masterminding the killing of Amar Alva, an underworld gangster, who was shot and killed in 1992.

• According to several sources, to consolidate his grip on Karnataka, he went to Mumbai in 1994, where he joined hands with the dreaded underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his henchman Sagar Shetty.

• Later, he asked Agni Sridhar to join him in running the crime syndicates in Karnataka; however, Sridhar rejected the proposal as he was against Rai’s decision of collaborating with the D-Company and adopting Mumbai’s gun culture in Karnataka.

• Muthappa was taken to a hospital after he was shot five times when he was en route to a court in Karnataka to attend a hearing on Amar Alva’s murder case in 1994. He remained bedridden till his recovery in 1996.
  

  A picture of Muthappa Rai taken during his underworld days

• After recovering, Muthappa left India and went to Dubai in 1996 and started helping Sharad Shetty, a Dubai-based Indian businessman, suspected to be an aide of Dawood Ibrahim, in organising underground activities in the UAE.

• Later, Muthappa and Sharad jointly established pharmacy businesses in UAE, the Middle East, and Africa.

• In 2001, he reportedly masterminded the killing of a businessman named Subbaraj, who refused to sell him his land at a prime location in Bengaluru. Later, the police arrested the gunman who shot and killed Subbaraj. He revealed that he was ordered to kill him by two subordinates, Guru Satnam and Ravi Pujari, of the Mumbai-based underworld don Chhota Rajan and that Muthappa had nothing to do with the murder. The police, however, said that their investigation revealed that Muthappa played a vital role in providing logistical support to the gunman.

• Muthappa Rai was arrested and extradited to India in 2002. Upon his arrival in India, he was taken into custody by the Karnataka Police, and he was grilled by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). In an interview, Daniel George, an Indian journalist, claimed that while he was working with the Indian embassy in Dubai, Muthappa Rai approached him, seeking his assistance in contacting Indian officials to escape to India as he was being hunted by the police for indulging in underground activities. Some sources reported that he was sent back to India by the Saudi government because of the Red Notice issued by Interpol against him. According to Muthappa Rai, the Government of India allowed him to return to India for aiding the Indian intelligence agencies in conducting secret missions in Afghanistan.

• In the same year, Muthappa stood trial for allegedly masterminding eight murders and running several extortion rackets in Karnataka. He, however, was acquitted by the court in 2004 as the police could not produce appropriate evidence against him.

• In 2008, Muthappa Rai founded an NGO named Jaya Karnataka with the intent of helping the poor and needy by improving their living standards. Through his NGO, Rai provided medical assistance, education, ration, and more, to the poor and the needy.
  

  Jaya Karnataka’s logo

• Muthappa Rai assumed the directorship of Alpha Consolidated Projects (India) Private Limited, a construction company, on 8 April 2009.

• He was appointed as the director of a construction company named Rani Circle Projects Private Limited on 21 September 2009.

• He became the director of Nandi Valley Holdings Private Limited, involved in the real estate business, on 26 November 2009.

• He was appointed as the director of Rai’s Paradise Developer Private Limited on 29 March 2010.

• He assumed the position of director of Riverbankheritage Builders India Private Limited on 17 January 2011.

• On 15 February 2011, Rai assumed Laxmisri Granites And Stone Crushers (India) Private Limited’s directorship.

• In the same year, Rai landed a role in Kanchilda Baale, a Tulu film.
  

  A poster of the Tulu film Kanchilda Baale

• At Alpha Devanahalli Properties Private Limited, he assumed the position of director on 21 May 2012.

• Muthappa Rai worked as an actor in the 2012 Kannada film Katari Veera Surasundarangi.

• Rai assumed the directorship of Alpha Infra Realtors (Bangalore) Private Limited on 20 August 2012. He also has many businesses running in different countries.

• In 2016, he landed a role in Mandya Star, a Kannada film.

• In 2016, Ram Gopal Verma announced that he would make a biopic named Rai on Muthappa Rai’s life. He also said that the role of Muthappa would be played by Vivek Oberoi. However, the film was never produced.

• The Karnataka Athletic Association (KAA) appointed him as its chairman in 2018.
  

  Muthappa Rai at the Karnataka Athletic Association (KAA)

• Muthappa Rai was seen doing Shastra Pooja, along with his wife, in a video that went viral in 2018. He was later summoned by the Karnataka Police for questioning over the acquisition of arms.
  

  A still from the viral video in which Muthappa Rai is standing behind his wife Anuradha during the Shastra Pooja

• In January 2020, Muthappa Rai, during a press conference at his home, told the media that he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Talking about it, he said,
  

  I have always led a fearless life. I do not fear death either. I survived even after being hit with five bullets. I am not afraid of death and I am living entirely on sheer will power.”

  In April 2020, after his medical condition worsened, he was admitted to Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru. He was declared dead on 15 May 2020. ^[10]Star of Mysore ^[11]The Indian Express The family later issued a statement announcing his death and said,

  Muthappa Rai died at around 2 am on Friday; his final rites will be conducted at his residential premise in Bidadi. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, his final rites will be conducted only by his family members and no public will be allowed to attend the funeral.”

  

  A caravan of vehicles escorting Muthappa Rai’s body to his residence

• Three months after Muthappa Rai’s passing, his wife Anuradha Rai filed a case against her stepsons Rocky and Ricky Rai. She demanded that a third of Rai’s property and eleven luxury vehicles should be handed over to her. While giving an interview, her lawyer said,
  

  We are not sure of the extent of his properties. There could be more. What we know… we have put out details. We have mentioned in our plaint too that there may be other properties which would be added to this in future. We are in the process of getting the details. Nothing was given to her earlier (by way of any properties in her name, before Rai died). She has not taken anything from the estate. There seems to be no settlement within the family, that’s the instruction.”

• Muthappa Rai’s house in Bidadi, Karnataka, was not only decorated with beautiful ornaments made of gold but also had several expensive crystal chandeliers in it. It is reported that he had many enemies and was peculiar about the safety of his family. Consequently, he instructed the construction of a 20-foot high concrete perimeter around the house, laden with concertina wire. Additionally, the house was patrolled by guards armed with weapons 24×7.
  

  An armed guard patrolling the perimeter of Muthappa Rai’s house

• Muthappa Rai was fond of collecting expensive shades, and he often imported them.

• Muthappa Rai had a custom-built Land Cruiser that was heavily armoured and capable of withstanding AK-47  bullets as well as rockets from RPGs.

• While giving an interview, Muthappa said that his total savings were Rs 30 when he joined the Vijaya Bank as a clerk.

• Before his death, Muthappa Rai created a will according to which his sons inherited 600 acres of land each in Karnataka, his businesses, and the houses he owned. He also allotted some money and a few acres of land to each employee who served him for more than 25 years.